The Monkey's Paw
by PaladinDragon
Summary: Ever hear that old story of the monkey's paw? Yugi, while cleaning out the attic one day, discovers said fabled artifact,of course, the wishes go wrong, horribly wrong. Eventual YYxY
1. Chapter One: Backfires!

Summary: Ever hear that old story of the monkey's paw? Yugi, while cleaning out the attic one day, discovers said fabled artifact. He shows it to his grandfather, who explains what it is and how he came by it. Yami wants Yugi to get rid of the thing, he can sense the evil leaking off the creepy dried out paw, but Yugi, excited at the prospect of four wishes, keeps it. Will Yugi be able to fix the chaos that ensues after he makes his first wish that backfires horribly?  
  
Authoress: PaladinDragon  
  
Warnings: Slight shonnen-ai(from that first wish that goes wrong), language(I wanted to make it teenager-y, it's nothing heavy, but I wouldn't talk like this in front of my mother.)  
  
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**Chapter One: The Monkey's Paw-Wish One: Backfires!**

****  
  
"Hey, Yugi, wait and I'll help you with that when I get back!" yami said as he disappeared down the ladder to the second floor. Yugi heard him run across the apartment above the Kame Game Shop for the phone. Yugi turned back to his task.  
  
They had been at it all day, trying to get the attic clean for a promise of twenty bucks apeice and some good stories about his grandfather's travels. His grandpa had went out to pick up some food, and all Yugi had to do was set this last box on the shelf. Surely he could do that by himself?  
  
Yami had hung up the phone and had his foot on the bottom rung of the ladder, when he heard a yell, then a loud crash followed by a string of very fluent curses. Yami hurried upstairs to find his hikari in the middle of a large pile of 'priceless artifacts' looking really ticked off. Yami couldn't help but start laughing.  
  
"I told you to wait!"  
  
"Yea, it's bloody well funny to you isn't it, smart ass, but you'd drop whatever you had in your hands too if you found this in a dark corner." Yugi said smartly, throwing something at Yami's head, which he caught easily. He stopped laughing and looked at the thing.  
  
It was a dried out hand. It wasn't human, it only had four fingers, the wrist ended in a wooden stand-like piece. He could practically see the evil radiating off of it.  
  
"Yuck, here put it away." he said, throwing it back to Yugi. He set it on the top of the other things in the box and closed the lid.  
  
"I wonder why grandpa even has such a thing to begin with." Yugi said as they lifted the heavy box and slid it into place on the shelf.  
  
"I don't know, but it creeps me out, lets get outta here." Yami said as he headed back downstairs. Yugi followed, grinning evilly.  
  
"Aww, does a little souvenir scare the almighty ex-pharoah?" he said playfully.  
  
"Yugi, you spend to much time with Ryou, his yami is rubbing off on you." Yami,smiling, shot back, trying to trip Yugi as he passed him in the hall.  
  
"Oh, yea, that reminds me, who called?" Yugi said as they reached the kitchen.  
  
"Iris, we're going out later." Yami said, turning on the water and letting it run over his hands.(A/N: Iris: Ira's older sister. Who's Ira? OC, read Mysterious Mystua, but it doesn't really matter, she doesn't play a big role. .)  
  
"Oh." Yugi sighed.  
  
"YUGI! YAMI! I'M BACK!" Yugi's grandfather yelled from downstairs. Yami ran off to help him as Yugi set the table, thinking. He wished he had someone to love him like he knew Iris did Yami.   
  
"....so is it okay?"  
  
"Of course." They entered the kitchen, Yami carrying two sacks. (A/N: Okay, I'm brain dead right now, cause it's after midnight, and I can't think of what they are eating, it doesn't really matter, so just assume it's something you need a plate for...Chinese? Perhaps?)  
  
A few minutes later, they were munching(heh, what a funny word) and Yugi decided to ask his grandpa about the paw thing he had found.  
  
"Well, Yugi that is a monkey's paw. I got it in an old shop somewhere on the other side of Egypt, I can't remember where exactly, but it's supposed to be magical. The shop owner told me it would grant four wishes to whoever held it, but it was cursed and could only bring remorse on the wisher, instead of happiness. So I put it up there and I guess I forgot all about it."  
  
"That's neat."  
  
"Yea, I guess. When I was bringing it home, though, I felt really uneasy around it. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Hmm, and now thinking about it, I probably should put it in the pile to throw away. It's no good to anyone anyway."  
  
"Can I have it, grandpa?" His grandfather gave him a look.  
  
"Yugi, no offense, but the last thing I gave you to wish on, I ended up with a 5,000 year old spirit of a teenage pharoah."  
  
"Hey! Ya know you love me!" Yami said, throwing his arm around his neck.  
  
-------  
  
It was 10:30 that night. Yugi lay in bed, listening to the house creak. He kept thinking about the paw. He didn't know why, but he wanted to see it again, just to see if it looked magical. He was a little intrigued by the idea of wishes. The Puzzle had given him Yami, so maybe....  
  
Yugi couldn't stand it anymore. He slipped out of bed. His grandfather was asleep in his room down the hall, and Yami hadn't gotten back yet. Yugi snuck up to the attic and opened the box. There was the paw. He picked it up and carried it back to his room. He sat down on the edge of his bed, turned on his bedside lamp and examined the thing.  
  
It was wrinkled, dry, and cracked with age, and to tell the truth, looked as if it would fall apart with the slightest inkling. The four fingers stood straight out, and moth eaten fur clung desperately to the small wrist.   
  
Yugi was fascinated. It was such a weird thing, probably hundreds of years old, thousands of wishes made upon it by superstitious people. Suddenly, he wanted to add his own wish to the pile, just to satisfy his curiosity. Nothing would go wrong, right? No, of course not, nothing would happen anyway.  
  
Now all he had to do was decide what to wish for. Iris and Yami suddenly popped in his mind. Yugi was lonely, no matter how hard he tried to forget it. After Battle City, it seemed like everyone had someone but him. Joey and Mai, Tea(once she got over Yami) and Duke, Tristan and that girl from chemistry, Yami and Iris, Ryou and his yami, even Seto Kaiba and Serenity Wheeler. He sighed.  
  
"I wish I had someone that would love me as a boyfriend." he whispered sadly. The hand moved, Yugi yelled and dropped it, running to the far side of the room. He stood staring at it for a while, gathering his courage. When he saw it wasn't showing much sign of coming to life and trying to strangle him(A/N: He watches to many movies, like me.), he walked cautiously back over and picked it up again.  
  
It was just a dead, lifeless as it had been, but now Yugi noticed, the last finger on it was turned down against the palm. Thoroughly frightened, he shoved it in the last drawer of his dresser all the way in the back, and lay down again. He didn't think he could sleep, but he fell into a restless slumber a few minutes later.  
  
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Yugi was pulled from his sleep by someone kissing him. Whoever it was was really good at it too. Yugi smiled a little as the person continued to kiss him. Yugi remembered his wish then, and thought 'That thing really worked!' but all of his enthusiasm died when that person pressed against him. It wasn't a girl.  
  
Yugi's eyes flew open, and he found himself staring into a pair of familiar crimson eyes.  
  
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Paladin: Can I stop there?   
  
Yugi: No!!  
  
Paladin: I'm tired Yugi! It's late!  
  
Yugi: You should have thought of that before you started.  
  
Paladin: Aww, crap. Fine then, I'll ruin my perfect little cliffie. I am going to attempt to use what little Japanese that I do know, if I mess something up, please, somebody let me know!  
  
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"Yami!!" Yami smiled.  
  
"Yugi-chan, what's wrong? You look, surprised."  
  
"I-I...Am." he said shakily.  
  
"At what?" he said, moving to kiss him again, but was startled when Yugi turned his head. "Koibito, what's wrong?"(A/N: Awwwww....)  
  
Yugi opened his mouth, then closed it again. What was going on? He wished for someone, but he really meant someone as in Ira, not his own yami! _'Maybe I should have worded my wish a little differently, but that's not fair! It wasn't my official wish, I was just thinking out loud, and who would have thought it would work anyways!'_ Wait, he was supposed to be out with Iris tonight...  
  
"Where have you been?"  
  
"I was down in the shop, closing up, you knew that, I told you I'd be up after I was finished."  
  
"But, we don't stay open this late, and what happened to Iris?"  
  
"Iris, who's that?"  
  
"Your girlfriend." Yami snorted.  
  
"Ha! Girlfriend? Yugi, you know I only have eyes for you." (A/N: Again, Awwww....)  
  
"But..." Yami moved towards him, and he backed away, right off the bed. He landed on the floor hard.  
  
"Damn-it!" He yelled before he could stop himself.  
  
"Yugi! Keep it down!" Yami hissed as he offered his hand. Yugi didn't take it, instead he pulled open the drawer on his dresser, and started rummaging around for the paw. He was going to fix this mess before it got out of hand.   
  
He only started to panic when he realized it wasn't there.  
  
"Whereisitwhereisitwhereisit????" Yugi jumped up and ran out of the room, a worried Yami following. Yugi ran up to the attic, finding everything how they had left it. Yugi began searching through the boxes frantically. Yami had just decided his little hikari had gone crazy when he gave a triumphant yell and held something up.  
  
"That Ra-damned monkey's paw! Yugi! I thought your grandfather told you to throw it out."  
  
"He did, but not before I wished on it." Yugi said sheepishly, figuring he could tell Yami of all people. "That's why your in love with me."   
  
"What? Yugi, I have loved you ever since I met you, and you said you did me too." Yugi blanched, he loved Yami, but it was a brotherly love.  
  
"I...." Yami looked crestfallen.  
  
"You what?" he asked.  
  
"I don't...love...you like that." Yami's mouth fell open.  
  
"You mean all those times...they meant nothing to you?" he said softly. Yugi hated when he talked like that, it always made him feel guilty, even if he hadn't done anything wrong.  
  
"Yami, I don't know what you're talking about, you just started acting like this after I made my wish." Yami scowled.  
  
"Ya know, if you don't want to be with me anymore, you should just say so instead of blaming it on some stupid paw. You can be such a jackass sometimes Yugi." He said as he climbed back downstairs leaving Yugi thinking he probably just made things a lot worse.  
  
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Paladin: There, happy Yugi?  
  
Yugi: No! Yami called me a bad name!! (sniff)  
  
Paladin: Oh, shut up, I'm going to bed. R&ZZZzzzzzzzzzz.....


	2. Chapter Two: Aftermath!

Hello everyone. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. School has started back and I have had a lot to do with that, plus time has just gotten away from me. So here is very boreing chapter two! Yay for me, eh?

Warnings: Hmmm...guess i have to put more yoai in here. I really didn't want to make this one like my others...oh, well!

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Chapter Two: The Monkey's Paw-Wish One: Aftermath!

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Yugi walked slowly downstairs, paw clutched tightly in hand. He stung from Yami's words, but he guessed he had gotten the easy end of that conversation. He passed his dark's room, and paused outside.

He could hear him pacing. The mind link was blocked.

Yugi thought he should say something, and even had his hand up ready to knock, when he decided against it. They would probably just get into a fight. The two halves had only fought twice before--but both times had been knock-out, drag-out fist fights that had not gone over to well with his grandfather.

He continued on down the hall to his own room, where he lay the paw on his bedside table, and went to sit under the window.

He looked up at the sky, pale blue around a luminous moon darkening to a deep velvety black pin-pricked with bright stars. A few smokish clouds painted patches of grey on the velvet. The sight produced a sigh from the young hikari.

Catching the clock out of the corner of his eye, Yugi decided to go to bed. It was after midnight.

_How am I going to fix this?_

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The next morning at school, Yugi sat with his head down. He really didn't feel that great. He was sleepy, his head hurt, and he was even more downtrodden than the previous night--if that were possible.

Yugi had thought of something last night before he had dropped off to sleep. Yami had said he had always loved him and Yugi had always returned the feelings. Apparently, the wish had changed more than the present, but why?

_"I got it in an old shop somewhere on the other side of Egypt, I can't remember where exactly, but it's supposed to be magical. The shop owner told me it would grant four wishes to whoever held it, but it was cursed and could only bring remorse on the wisher, instead of happiness. So I put it up there and I guess I forgot all about it."_

Why didn't he have any new memories? Well, it had also just changed more than just his and Yami's relationship as well, because this morning he had seen Joey and Kaiba kiss and nearly passed out from shock.

Yugi caught himself before he could drop off again. He was so sleepy--he had hardly gotten any sleep. Nightmares plagued him.

In the first he could remember, he found himself in the middle of a long corridor. It was dark, the walls a dark red-the color of old blood. He was frantic. Looking for something. And he couldn't find it.

Suddenly, he realized something awful followed him, and he became aware of what he searched for. His dark. At the end of the hallway. He ran on, each step becoming labored, and soon he could make out a limp figure against the wholly red-ness of the existence.

He could feel nothing but cool darkness--and it didn't belong to Yami's soul, heart, or mind.

Yugi continued on, not wanting to meet the dark figure, but fearing the evil presence behind him even more. The hallway grew darker as he neared the end. Then, just as he fell to his knees, the dream ended.

"Yug, hey, YUGI!!" Yugi was shaken from his memories by his best friend-Joey Wheeler. The one person he really did not want to see right now.

"Oh, hi Joey."

"Alright, now tell me why you broke up with Yami." Yugi rolled his eyes, he knew this was coming.

"I, well, I don't know." Joey raised an eyebrow. "I really can't say actually...."

"Yugi, you are my best buddy and I'm gonna tell you how it is--that was the stupidest thing you have ever done. You don't even have a reason!" He was starting to loose his patience.

"Joey, it's really none of your business." a cool voice said, radiating from behind the blonde. It was the second person Yugi wanted to see the least right now, of course, making his grand entrance-Seto Kaiba.

"Yea it is..." Joey said half-heartedly.

"No, love, it isn't. Now come on and leave him alone." Joey pouted a little more, but Kaiba convinced him with a kiss1 at which Yugi rolled his eyes, but he was happy to be left with his thoughts once again.

Another remembered dream had found it's way into his current thoughts. In this one he walked in a graveyard. It was night. A huge moon sat in her midnight sky, showing off her shimmering face. Yugi looked up at the sky, then down at his surroundings.

Fog swirled at his feet, around the crooked, broken tombstones, and over the small hill in the distance. It was cold. Not really the cold you feel, but the cold that just makes you numb that's usually associated with grave sites. He didn't like this place, that was evident, but instead of turning onto the path that he somehow knew would take him out of the place, he chose a path further into the rows of tombstones.

He walked what seemed like forever, dodging rocks that were half-submerged in the rolling white vapor. Passing another row of dark stones, he noticed something glinting gold. He walked slowly over to the grave, not quite believing what he was seeing. His old puzzle hung from the corner of the cold stone.

_But, that's not possible, that was destroyed years ago..._

Yugi was shocked out of his thoughts again by the evening bell. He looked around, startled. He was sitting in his rapidly emptying sixth period class, having no idea how he had gotten there.

'Oh, well, time to go home and confront his darkness. He was not exactly looking forward to it. At the house, Yugi had just sat his books down and was about to call out for Yami, but was beat to the fact.

(Yugi.) Yugi jumped and reeled, Yami's slightly chilly voice causing his heart to race. Yugi decided to take this time to apologize.

((Yami, I'm sorry for hurting you.)) he could almost feel Yami stiffen.

(I don't want to talk about it.)

((I think we should.))

(Why?)

((Because, I hate it when we're mad at each other.))

((and, I was a complete and total jerk.)) Yami smiled to himself, careful not to let any emotion through the link though, he wasn't quite ready to forgive and forget just yet.

(Yes, I know that.) Yugi came out of his room, into Yami's to find him on his bed, staring at the monkey's paw.

"Is something different about this thing?" he asked, for a moment, all the ice gone from his voice."Weren't all of it's fingers straight?"

"Yes, I told you Yami, I wished on it." Yami looked at him sideways.

"I'm sorry Yugi, I still don't believe you."

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OH MY GOSH!! I updated YAY! Anyways,

1 This is hard for me to imagine, how about you?

Well, R and R, I g2g, I'm missing my show!!


	3. Chapter Three: Don't Blurt

Paladin: Oi! I updated! I'm so happy.

Ira: What's up?

Paladin: Where have you been? It's been ages since I saw you! I need my evil inspiration, Ira!

Ira: (_shrugs) _Around.

Paladin: Well, now you've gone and done it! I've had to write this chapter all by myself. I hate this chapter, and I hate the next one too, but it was all I could come up with, so please forgive the two years I've taken to finally do this and enjoy! I am trying to finish up everything before I start college Aug. 28(wow, has these stories really taken me through high school?)and I've finally started the revising of ASTAE. I'm done with up to ch. 2, but now I'm thinking I have to rewrite the whole thing...well, we'll see!

The rating may go up on this one, yea, in fact, I'm going to up it just in case.

This chapter is really bad, but if you'll hang in there, the ending to this story is really a happy one. I just thought I'd give little Yugi a hard time along the way.

Thanks everybody!

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**The Monkey's Paw**

**Chapter 3:Wish Two: Don't Blurt**

"Here, I'll prove it." Yugi said, grabbing the paw out of his yami's hands. "I wish that Yami's feeling for me would go away." This time, the second finger moved downward. Yami gasped, but his time Yugi held on to it. He looked into Yami's eyes, but, instead of the hurt he had seen there earlier changing to something lighter, he watched as his yami's eyes grew cold and hard.

He had time to think -oh, no- before Yami actually backhanded him in the face.

"You dare to look me in the face? You're either really stupid or really brave, Yugi, but either way, you'll still end up with the same fate." He said bitterly as he stood, dragging Yugi up behind him.

"Yami! What are you doing?" Yugi said, eyes watering and tasting blood.

He didn't answer. Instead, he growled low in his throat and pushed him to the floor. Leaning down, he grabbed the front of Yugi's shirt, pulling him up and into his face. "You are nothing but my pathetic hikari, who must follow my every demand, right?" Yugi, not knowing what else to do, nodded painfully. "What?" Yami yelled, giving him a shake and making Yugi whimper.

"Yes, Yami." he whispered. Yami smirked, then without warning, punched his little hikari, sending the side of his head into the hard wood of his bed post, knocking him unconscious.

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Yugi awoke to a dull throb in his head. He groaned, rolling onto his side on the hard floor. His body was stiff and he ached. he lay for a minute just staring at a pool of bright sunshine on the floor in front of his face. He gradually became aware of laying on a hard wood floor. He frowned, his room had carpet, the wall he lay facing was white,his as supposed to be a light blue.

Yugi slowly sat up, looking around. The walls were cracked and dirty, the floor was scuffed, and the small bed sagged with an invisible weight. Yugi crawled into the small bathroom attached to his room. The tiles were old, some were chipped, and there was blood. Not a lot, but some dark stains littered the floor. He pulled himself up sing the sink and peered into the cracked mirror.

His face was a bit swollen and there was a knot on the side of his head. He sighed and hung his head. He seemed to go from bad to worse. _Why can't I think these things through before I open my big mouth? -Because you don't think what you're saying is all that bad, obviously.- Now Yami hates me! Next wish I will not speak until I know what I'm saying. -You think that, but you know you won't.-_

Suddenly, Yugi realized he was talking to himself, and another little part of his mind was answering him back. _Am I going crazy?_ Yugi sighed when nothing answered him, and looked back up into the mirror, eyes determined. Then they widened dramatically as he remembered...

_Where is the paw?_

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(Yugi!) Yugi winced, Yami's tone was that of when he was just about to clobber someone in a duel.

((Yes, Yami?)) he asked, falling to his knees on his bedroom floor, looking under the bed.

(Get down here now, I've decided to go to school today.) School?

((But, I--)) Yugi started, but was cut off by Yami. (NOW!) he practically roared, giving Yugi another splitting headache. A little frightened, he walked timidly down the stairs to find an impatient Yami standing in the entrance hall.

"Where have you been!" he screamed, which was obviously not at all like his dark. Yugi opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted once again by a knock on the door.

Yami whirled around and threw the door open. Seto Kaiba and Ryou's yami stood on his doorstep.

"Finally, what took you two so damn long?" He asked as he grabbed Yugi's arm and dragged him outside behind him.

"Business..." Kaiba grinned, glancing at Joey, who tensed, but didn't move.

"Next time, be on time." Yami said, narrowing his eyes. Yugi walked with Joey and Ryou. Joey looked bad enough with his pale skin and feverish eyes, but Ryou looked like death warmed over. His skin was almost as white as his hair and there was dark marks under his eyes. He kept his gaze on the ground. Joey, every now and then, would look up, glaring at Kaiba's back with some of the fire Yugi remembered him to have, then, as if he realized what he was doing, would lower his gaze quickly, looking submissive once more. Yugi was confused by all of this. How could his wish for Yami not to feel for him anymore affect everyone?

Yugi looked around him at the city they passed. It was devastated. Yugi stared open-mouthed at the crumbling buildings and people scurrying around as if they were afraid someone was going to jump at them and yell. Some teenagers stood grouped around the corner of the street. They caught sight of the group coming towards them and quickly (though casually) crossed the street, earning a smirk from Bakura.

The dark sky suddenly opened and it started to drizzle. The puzzle around Yami's neck started to glow softly, and the rain stopped. They reached the school building as Yugi was still trying to understand how he did that.

"Yami, lets switch for the night." Bakura said.

Yugi didn't know what he was talking about, but fear stabbed into him when Yami shrugged and entered the building.

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Yugi really didn't like where he was. It was dark. Very dark. He couldn't see anything and was finding it hard to breathe as claustrophobia took over. He sat on the floor, leaning next to the wall, concentrating on slowing his breathing. He could hear Joey stumbling on something across the room, then there was a 'swish' and the room suddenly changed from pitch black to gray. Joey had opened a blind that hid the window.

"Thanks, Joey." Yugi said, immediately finding it easier to breathe.

"Welcome. Are you okay now?"

"Yes." Silence ruled for a while. Yugi studied what he could see of Joey. He looked sick. It might be a trick of the light, but Yugi doubted it. Then, Yugi remembered the paw.

"Joey." he said, causing his friend to look at him. "This is going to sound strange, but have you seen an old artifact that belonged to my grandfather? It looks like an old dried out paw."

"Why would you want something that belonged to your grandfather? You hated him." Yugi opened his mouth to argue, but realized he could have in this...time...dimension...whatever it was, and closed it again. he waited for Joey to continue and when he didn't asked again. "Please, Joey, this is important to me."

"Yugi--" he felt his way across the room to where Yugi sat, grabbing his shoulders in an almost painful grip and forcing him to look him in the eye. "--please, don't lose it! You're the only thing that is keeping me sane right now. I don't know exactly what they did to him, but they've already broken Ryou, please don't let them get to you too!" he begged. Yugi didn't have to ask who 'they' were.

"Joey, I'm not losing it - I just really need to know where this thing is!" Joey sighed, releasing his shoulders and making his way back over under the window.

"I haven't seen it, Yugi."

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Yugi shifted uncomfortably. The floor and wall were getting cold. Joey slept across from him on the floor, his back to his friend. Yugi had worried himself into depression, the gloom around him not helping any. He squinted when the door flew open and Ryou stumbled in. He lay where he fell, not making a sound, not moving.

Yugi crawled over to his fallen friend. He touched the back of his neck gently, whispering his name. Ryou didn't respond. He gathered him up, brushing his silver hair back from his pale face. He half whimpered, his brown eyes flew open, saw it was Yugi that held him and leaned into him. He was so cold.

"Ryou, are you alright?" It was obvious he wasn't, but he asked anyway. "N..no."

"Tell me." Ryou shook his head. Yugi sighed slightly, beginning to rub small circles in Ryou's back.

Soon Yugi felt the tension melt out of his body, his eyes were closed. He was about to fall asleep. Yugi put his mouth to his ear, and, feeling incredibly selfish, whispered, "Ryou." Ryou stirred but didn't reply. "Have you seen a monkey's paw anywhere?"

Silence met him, Ryou lay still. Yugi had just decided he had fallen asleep when Ryou replied. "Monkey's paw? Yeah...I guess I have."

"Where? Ryou, this is very important."

"At my house, this morning. I think I saw it in Bakura's room..." Yugi relaxed a lot, but then another thought caused him to stop short. Ryou fell asleep as Yugi voiced his question.

"How am I supposed to get there?"

"They are switching us for the night." Yugi jumped as Joey's voice cut through the quiet.

"What do you mean?"

"They switched us for a night. Bakura always ends up with you, Yugi." Yugi frowned. His way out of here lay in the most dangerous place...

Ryou moaned and Yugi tightened his grip on him. _You have to set things right, if that means facing Bakura, so be it._

All his courage swiftly abandoned him, however, when the door opened again.

* * *

Paladin: Well, there it is. I hate it, but oh well.

Ira: It's not that bad...not really.

Paladin: _(bursts into tears)_ I hate it!

Ira: _(sighs)_ Please review and thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter Four: Look Out

Paladin: Chapter four is up!

Ira: Finally.

Paladin: _blinks _Where did you come from?

Ira: _shrugs _Around.

Paladin: Yeah, well, enjoy.

_Note: Check my profile for disclaimer._

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The Monkey's Paw

Chapter Four: Wish Two: Look Out

* * *

Yugi's gaze darted between the two darks wildly, trying to comprehend what had just taken place. _Switch us?_ he thought angrily. _What right do they have? They don't own us!_

Joey, not quite believing he had not finally broke under the pressure, had told him not to worry. He was sure Yugi could handle it. Yugi wasn't so confident. In fact, just the look on Bakura's face was enough to freeze the blood right in his veins. He needed in the house, in Ryou's room, and could think of no other way of getting there but to cooperate...for now, anyway.

"Come on, I don't have all night." Bakura growled at Yugi. With a last glance at Joey, who nodded reassuringly, Yugi exited the dark room, leaving his friends behind.

_I am going to fix this. I'm going to wish for things to return to normal before things get any more out of hand._

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Yugi clenched his teeth. They were there. He looked up at the run down house. It resembled everything else here in that it was just as destroyed as everything else. Yugi entered after Bakura and got the shock of his life. Right in front of him, the dark half of his best friend seemed to change. His eyes became softer, and his face lost most of it's savage look, and he visibly relaxed. It was so monumental, that Bakura smiled at Yugi's expression.

"What? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"I think I have." Bakura laughed softly. "What is going on here anyway?" Bakura looked amused, and grinning wickedly, said,

"What has gotten into you? You know exactly. It was your idea." Yugi ran over a million possibilities in his mind before asking,

"Could you explain it to me?" Bakura laughed then. It wasn't cold or cruel the way he had heard him laughing around Yami or Seto, it sounded almost sweet. Confused, Yugi followed him upstairs.

"You said you knew that I was different from your yami and Kaiba. I believed you, and well, I guess you were right."

"But...this doesn't make any sense. Why do you act like them if you're not?" Bakura stopped at the top of the stairs.

"Because, if they found out I'd be viewed as weak, and that is not acceptable, for me or them. You know I one day hope to change this world, bring some peace and order back into it. I try to treat all three of you as well as I can, because, well, Yami is just wrong." He shrugged, then raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay, Yugi? You've been acting kind of strange." Bakura's dark eyes glowed with passion. Yugi found himself a little afraid, which caused him to jerk back instinctively from Bakura's touch. Unfortunately, this threw him off-balance and he toppled backwards. Expecting something solid underneath his feet, he stepped backwards to catch himself, but met only air. He was standing on the top step of the stairs after all.

So, with a cry of defeat, he fell.

--------------------------------

Yugi opened his eyes slowly. It was dark. He closed his eyes again and moaned. Everything hurt. Silently cursing himself for being such a klutz, he pulled himself up and realized he was in a bed, under some blankets...in a room he recognized to be Ryou's.

Perfect. . .kind of, anyway. At least he was alone. He searched the room the best he could with no hint of the paw anywhere. Then, just as he was about to give up, he noticed something dark in a pile of clothes he could just make out in the gloom in the entrance of the closet. He raised the paw in triumph, then plopped down on the edge of the bed.

He held the paw with both hands, examining it. Did it look a little more fragile? A little more moth-eaten? Yugi dismissed the appearance to a trick of the light and opened his mouth to wish.

A cry outside the window silenced him before he could utter a sound. Peering out into the night revealed nothing, but he could sense something wasn't right at all. Worried, he tried the window. It was stuck. So he stuffed the paw into the back of his jeans and pounded the window open. A blast of cold air hit him in the face. The night sounds outside were silenced by winter. Now the only thing he could hear was the sound of glass breaking, metal hitting metal a few minutes later. There was no sound of traffic or of people. The occasional sound was almost ear-splitting in the silence.

Suddenly, Yugi realized he could hear footsteps on the stairs. They were soft, so quiet he might have missed them if he had not been straining his ears for some notion of normality in the outside world.

He wanted to be alone to make the wish, and take a few seconds to think it through. Yugi cast about for a way out. A tree branch grew close to the window and was the only way down short of jumping. Yugi wasn't very keen on the idea of leaping from a second-story window, especially after falling down a flight of stairs, if it could be avoided. All this went through his head as he reached for the tree branch, climbing through the window and down the tree.

He hit the ground at a run as a shout sounded from above him. He headed downtown where he could hope to lose his pursuers. Yugi silently thanked whoever was listening he hadn't hurt himself severely, and it was dark enough no one could see him clearly.

Yugi ran until the sounds of pursuit faded and he fell in a heap when he allowed himself to stop. He clutched the stitch in his side and tried to catch his breath. It was Yami's voice. The sound was faint, but there was no doubt in Yugi's mind. He jumped to his feet, listening for the sound of his dark's voice. Deciding on a path, he started forward, paw temporarily forgotten. He wouldn't have wished anyway. Somehow it would feel like he was abandoning his best friend.

"I'm sorry Joey, and Ryou. I've got to be the most stupid person to ever wish on this thing."Yugi whispered under his breath. No one was about, of course, the city was quiet and dark. Maybe that's why he was so throughly frightened by the voice.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Barely suppressing a scream, Yugi whirled to come face to face with a black clad figure. It made Yugi think of the Grim Reaper, minus the scythe. He could just make out a pair of light grey eyes under the hood. The figure's cloak was so black it actually stood out from the darkness surrounding it. It was just Yugi's height, and seemed really fragile and small. Yugi swallowed hard.

_Is this what death looks like?_

"I am not Death." Yugi couldn't tell if the figure was male or female. The voice could go either way. Did it just read his mind, or was that a common misconception the figure often ran into? Yugi found he didn't want to know.

"Who are you?" He was proud his voice only wavered a little.

"Where you warned about the paw?"

"Yes."

"The talisman is evil. No good can come of it."

"So I hear." Yugi said dryly.

"The wishes open portals to different dimensions. To different paraell worlds. All of these happenings could have been the original reality you know. On some level, you know all of these worlds, live in them, function in them, and die in them."

"How can I fix this?"

"You can't. All you can do is go back to your original reality, and it may not be as you remember."

"What? Who are you? Tell me how to go back!" Yugi shouted at the figure. It backed away slightly, then continued in it's monotonic way of speaking.

"I once guided a young man who had everything. One wish left a fortune stolen and his whole family slaughtered. So no, not the most stupid, not even the most foolish. He could not find the answers to his own questions. Don't be like him. Find the answers yourself." the hood shook with the figure's head.

"Be careful with that paw, even the best intentioned wish will always have strings attached."

A scream in the night-not anyone Yugi recognized-made him snap his head in the opposite direction before he could stop himself. When he turned back around, he was alone.

More confused than ever, he continued walking. Rounding a corner, he suddenly ran into his dark and Joey.

--------------------------

Yugi took a step back, shocked. There was murder in Yami's eyes and Joey was afraid. Both stopped what they were doing when Yugi gasped.

Joey was on the ground, a place he never visited often, but he looked completely beaten now. His blond hair was disheveled, and his clothes now sported more stains.

Yami stood over him, looking regal and very angry. He smirked at the hikari.

"So, your free will needs some adjusting as well? Yugi, I would have thought you of all people could control yourself better, since you're mine."

This time anger was the emotion to win Yugi over. It was very seldom this happened, and whenever it did, it was usually not a good thing for anyone, including Yugi.

"I m not yours, Yami! You do not own _anyone_ anymore!" Yami snarled, turning towards him, the puzzle glowing menacingly. Yugi gulped, but could do nothing as his magic lashed out...and met with opposing magic of equal intensity. Yugi turned to see Bakura behind him, his Mellenium Item glowing.

"Bakura! I should have known..." Bakura stepped calmly between them.

"Yami, this has gone on long enough. This world is practically destroyed all because of you."

"What? You think you could do a better job at ruling this place?"

"Yeah, I do." Bakura glanced back at Yugi. He grinned at the hikari, then said, "I'm sorry Yugi."

"Bakura?" he whispered as the shadows swirled around them both. He knew only one of them would come back out again. Joey groaned, drawing his attention. He hurried to where he lay, and knelt beside him. He took Joey's shoulders and helped him sit upright.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. What just happened? Did Bakura just do what I thought?"

"Yeah, he did." Yugi said, glad they were alone for a few moments.

"Are things going to get better now?"

"I hope so." Yugi had never took his gaze from the spot the two duelists had dissapeared. "I hope so."

Yugi noticed tears in Joey's eyes. "I wish none of this had happened. I wish Yami had never rose to power."

Yugi took out the paw. Joey noticed and smiled bitterly. "I wish Yami was never evil." Yugi whispered. The world was suddenly darkness, and one voice echoed through the silence.

_"Even the best intentioned wish has strings attached."_

* * *

Paladin: How was it? Thanks for reading, I appreciate it! If you noticed any spelling or grammatical errors please point them out and I'll fix them. Thanks! 


	5. Chapter Five: Just Go Away

Paladin: o.O I forgot what I was going to say…

* * *

The Monkey's Paw

Chapter Five: Wish Three: Just Go Away

----------

Yugi awoke slowly, wondering where he would find himself now. He was in a bed, quilts tucked under his chin. Light was filtered through rain clouds outside, giving the bare room a grey cast. It was cold. He sat up slowly, shivering as the cold air hit him.

The room was white, the floor a dark hardwood, and the bed frame metal. He yawned and got up, wandering over to the window. A sudden flash of anxiety caused him to flinch when he remembered his last experience. He wondered if his friends were all alright in this world. With that thought in mind, he took his eyes from the sky and examined his street.

It looked fairly normal, though everything had a dark cast to it, like too many shadows hung around, and there still were no people around. Yugi swallowed hard. He didn't understand that. He ran down the stairs.

He was searching for the paw when the phone started ringing. He started for the wall phone he had passed a moment ago, then stopped. It wasn't ringing. Momentarily confused, he stopped for a moment. Then he realized the sound was coming from his pocket. He brought it out of his pocket and answered it.

"…Hello?"

"Yugi?" That voice…it sounded so familiar.

"…Yes?"

"I have a new target for you."

"A…what?"

"Come to headquarters to receive it."

"Um…"

"Something wrong?" Who was this? It seemed like he should know them.

"No."

"Good." The phone went dead. Yugi held it out and stared.

_Great._

_Where is headquarters? _What_ is headquarters? What did he mean by "target" and why would they be calling me?_

Yugi groaned and closed his eyes. This was going to be a long day.

-----

About half an hour later, Yugi had turned the entire house upside down and still hadn't found the paw. Neither had he found any clue as to why he had received the strange call. He was beginning to feel uneasy.

He plopped down in an armchair. This was so frustrating! Putting his head on his fist, he found his mind turning towards Yami. Where was he? Suddenly Yugi was overwhelmed by a strange feeling. He needed to see his dark very badly. However, he knew in his heart he probably wouldn't be seeing him for a long while.

Grabbing his jacket, he headed for the front door, only to be scared senseless when, just as he reached for the doorknob, someone pounded on the door. The door actually rattled on its hinges as the person knocked.

Yugi froze, not knowing what to do. Then he heard another familiar voice on the other side of the door.

"Hey, Yugi! Open up, already!" Yugi took a deep breath and flung the door open.

"Joey!" He exclaimed, surprised to see his blonde friend with his fist raised, ready to bring it down on the door.

"Yugi! There you are! The boss is _pissed_."

"Who?"

"Very funny, but if you keep him waiting much longer he'll probably shoot you himself!" Joey laughed and grabbed Yugi by the wrist, dragging him outside.

It was only as he was walking down the street next to Joey, did he realize there was something shoved in the waistband of his jeans, in the small of his back. Hoping against all hope it was the paw that was the last place he saw it now that he thought about it, he reached around and drew the object out.

He stopped dead still.

What he held in his hand was black, shiny, and very deadly. It was a hand gun. Yugi knew absolutely nothing about weapons, so he really didn't know what he was looking at. All he knew was it fit his hand perfectly, and it was really pretty.

"You okay? You look a little flushed."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Yugi said, giving his head a shake to get rid of the strange feeling. He stuffed the gun back into place and they started walking again.

"Have you been thinking about Yami again?"

Joey's words stopped him again. Joey apparently hadn't expected such a severe reaction, judging by the look on his face. He stopped as well and stuck his hands into his jacket pockets.

"I mean, it's not good to obsess over the guy. It was a long time ago."

"I am not obsessed!" Yugi could barely keep the snarl from his voice. He faintly wondered why.

"He made one mistake. He shouldn't have sent you in first. He should have known there was an ambush."

Yugi gulped. "Joey, where is he now?"

Joey sighed forcefully and turned away, resuming his pace down the street. Thinking quickly, Yugi said, "Please, Joey! I just need to hear it out loud."

Joey glanced back at him, something like worry in his brown eyes.

"He's dead Yugi. Been that way for years. Now come on, before you get me in trouble too."

----------

'Headquarters' turned out to be a skyscraper which, in Yugi's normal world, was known as KaibaCorp. A chill crept into Yugi, and he found he couldn't shake it as they made their way into the building and towards an elevator. Yugi settled on the rail, leaning against the wall and crossed his arms. Lost in his thoughts, it took him a moment to notice Joey, who had a strange look on his face. One eyebrow was raised higher than the other.

"What?" Yugi asked defensively.

"You have finally decided to get over your claustrophobia, huh? Usually we have to take the stairs."

Yugi blinked. "It's just not bothering me today, I guess."

"Hm. Well, good."

Joey studied him for a while longer. Yugi began to feel extremely uncomfortable under his gaze. Finally he looked away.

"Will you be okay on this mission?" He asked slowly.

Yugi bristled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Joey opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by the doors opening. He didn't speak as he led Yugi down another hallway and into an office.

The room itself wasn't anything special. The floor was a black marble, huge windows that reached from the floor to the ceiling made up one wall, overlooking the city. Yugi had been here once before when he had been invited here to duel Kaiba.

"You're late." That same voice that was on the phone. Yugi couldn't have been more surprised when Marik stepped from the shadows in a corner to his right. Yugi had looked right over him.

"Marik?" Yugi couldn't keep the surprise from his voice. Marik glanced at Joey questioningly, and Joey just shrugged. Marik smirked and walked over to the desk that faced the door.

Yugi blinked and decided getting his mouth to close was priority number one. He could worry about what was going on later. Yugi's teeth clicked together as Marik spoke.

"Yugi, you know you are one of my top assassins. I need your skills again." He managed to keep his jaws closed, but he knew his eyes where huge. Assassin? The metal shoved in his waistband suddenly seemed extremely heavy.

"I want you and Joey on this one. These two are extremely dangerous and heavily guarded. They have been posing a problem for a couple of weeks, and have made several attempts on my life."

"Who are we going after?" Joey asked. Yugi glanced at him. His expression was flat, his eyes fierce.

Marik pulled a manila folder from one of the desk's drawers and threw it on the table. A picture fell out and slid across the desktop, coming to rest exactly in front of Yugi.

His blood ran cold.

"The leader of the rebel's group,"

Yugi picked up the paper with the picture of one of his best friends on it.

"Ryou Bakura."

* * *

Paladin: Wah, ha. I still don't remember what I was going to say. XP I hate it when I do that! I hope everyone had a good Halloween! Sorry it's so short. Maybe the next one will be longer. As always, Thanks for reading! 


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